Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system for detecting an occlusion in a fluid line, and more particularly to a system for detecting occlusions in the downstream or patient side of a disposable cassette containing a fluid pump thereon, which disposable cassette includes a pressure diaphragm and is for installation onto and use with a main pump unit including a pressure transducer therein for monitoring fluid pressure downstream of the pump, the system utilizing control circuitry to provide an alarm in the event of a patient-side occlusion.
In the past there have been two primary techniques which have been used to deliver drugs which may not be orally ingested to a patient. The first such technique is through an injection, or shot, using a syringe and needle which delivers a large dosage at relatively infrequent intervals to the patient. This technique is not always satisfactory, particularly when the drug being administered is potentially lethal, has negative side effects when delivered in a large dosage, or must be delivered more or less continuously to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. This problem results in smaller injections being given at more frequent intervals, a compromise approach not yielding satisfactory results.
Alternatively, the second technique involves administering a continuous flow of medication to the patient, typically through an IV bottle. Medication may also be delivered through an IV system with an injection being made into a complex maze of IV tubes, hoses, and other paraphernalia. With drop counters being used to meter the amount of bulk fluid delivered, many medications still end up being administered in a large dosage through an injection into the IV lines, although the medications may be diluted somewhat by the bulk fluid.
As an alternative to these two techniques of administering medication to a patient, the relatively recent addition of medication infusion pumps has come as a welcome improvement. Medication infusion pumps are utilized to administer drugs to a patient in small, metered doses at frequent intervals or, alternatively, in the case of some devices, at a low but essentially continuous rate. Infusion pump therapy may be electronically controlled to deliver precise, metered doses at exactly determined intervals, thereby providing a beneficial gradual infusion of medication to the patient. In this manner, the infusion pump is able to mimic the natural process whereby chemical balances are maintained more precisely by operating on a continuous time basis.
One of the requirements of a medication infusion system is dictated by the important design consideration of disposability. Since the portion of the device through which medication is pumped must be sterile, in most applications of modern medication infusion equipment some portions of the equipment are used only once and then disposed of, typically at regular intervals such as once daily. It is therefore desirable that the fluid pump portion of the infusion pump device be disposable, with the fluid pump being designed as an attachable cassette which is of inexpensive design, and which is easily installable onto the main pump unit.
It will be perceived that it is desirable to have a simple disposable cassette design to minimize the cost of construction of the cassette, using the minimum number of parts necessary in the design of the cassette. The design of the cassette must be mass producible, and yet result in a uniform cassette which is capable of delivering liquid medication or other therapeutic fluids with a high degree of accuracy. The cassette should include therein more than just a fluid pump; other features which have formerly been included in peripheral devices may be included in the cassette.
It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide an alarm in the event of an occlusion in the fluid path downstream of the pump in the disposable cassette. The occlusion detection system must be integrally contained in the disposable cassette/main pump unit combination, and not an add-on downstream type. An patient-side occlusion detector must provide a number of advantages and meet a number of requirements necessary to enhance operating safety of the overall system. Specifically, the patient-side occlusion detection system of the present invention must respond quickly to "rapid occlusions" such as those caused by a clamped line or a closed stopcock. Rapid response is requires to prevent fluid pressure from quickly exceeding a maximum value.
The patient-side occlusion detection system of the present invention must minimize the occurrence of nuisance alarms during false "slow occlusions" such as those caused by transient fluctuations such as vascular pressure, head height, or motion of the patient, which are not in fact occlusions at all. The system must however provide an alarm in the event of true "slow occlusions" which may be caused by pressure slowly increasing to a high level due to a clotted or infiltrated fluid line. The system of the present invention must also provide flexibility in the maximum pressure generated without causing an alarm, since some infusates require more pressure to infuse than others.
Perhaps most important is the ability of a patient-side occlusion detection system to provide an alarm in a minimal time from the onset of an occlusion. That is to say that the system of the present invention must afford a high degree of precision and accuracy which must remain constant throughout the life of the cassette, and it must not be significantly affected by other operating components of the system. In addition, the occlusion detection system of the present invention must also require low power to operate, to therefore conserve power and extend battery life.
The occlusion detection system of the present invention must be of a design which enables it to compete economically with known competing systems. It must accomplish all these objects in a manner which will retain all of the advantages of ease of use, reliability, durability, and safety of operation, without incurring any relative disadvantage. All the advantages of the present invention will result in a superior medication infusion system having a number of advantages making the system a highly desirable alternative to systems presently available.